Inside this Edition

Viewpoints & Opinions 2

Jim Bob & LHS Wrestling 3

Chamber Diplomats 4

Starlight Girls 5-6

Pageant Photos 7-11

Advanced Placement

Pageant Hopefuls

12

National Signing Day

Soccer Girls

13

The Back Page

14

The Vision of Leeds City Schools is Promoting Achievement, Respect, and Success.

Mr. & Miss Leeder 2016

The GreenWaveNewsThe GreenWaveNews Inside the Wave Inside the Wave . . . . . . . . Wrestling Champs, Starlight Girls, Pageant photos, ChickWrestling Champs, Starlight Girls, Pageant photos, Chick--FilFil--A trip, Signing Day A trip, Signing Day

Leeds High School Quill and Scroll Honor SocietyLeeds High School Quill and Scroll Honor Society (established October 10, 1947)(established October 10, 1947) February 2016February 2016 International Honor Society for High School Journalists International Honor Society for High School Journalists Volume 9, No. 3Volume 9, No. 3 Published QuarterlyPublished Quarterly

The LMS and LHS Pageants were held in the LHS Oak & Ivy Theater Audito-rium on Saturday, February 6th. Twenty-three contestants competed in the Leeds Middle School Pageant featuring students from the 5th Grade through the 8th Grade and twenty-seven contestants competed in the 2016 Mr. & Miss Leeder Pageant. The LHS Senior Class of 2016 and FCCLA sponsored both events. LHS Principal Brent Shaw welcomed the audience attending the annual event. Mr. Jesse Turner served as Master of Ceremonies. Turner, Mr. Leeder 2011, is an English teacher and football coach at Leeds Middle School.

Last year’s Mr. & Miss Leeds Middle School, Dalton Cates and Emmy Beason crowned the 2016 winners, Devin Sherman and Zaeli Crocker. The 2016 Miss 8th Grade title was awarded to Shelby Saunier Adam Brown and Ali Chambers, Mr. & Miss Leeder 2015, returned to campus to crown this year’s 2016 Mr. & Miss Leeder Michael Rankins and Courtney Purkey. Austin Glass and Sydney St. John won the titles of Mr. & Miss Senior Class. The audience enjoyed special entertain-ment provided by Stairway Acoustics, a talented group of LHS singers and musi-cians.

PurposePurpose

The focus of The focus of The GreenWave News The GreenWave News is to provide a school and community informational service highlighting activities of Leeds High School.is to provide a school and community informational service highlighting activities of Leeds High School.

Additionally, the publication seeks to provide a public forum for the opinions of students, the newspaper staff, and faculty.Additionally, the publication seeks to provide a public forum for the opinions of students, the newspaper staff, and faculty.

Articles and opinions expressed in the newspaper are not necessarily those of Leeds High School nor the City of Leeds Board oArticles and opinions expressed in the newspaper are not necessarily those of Leeds High School nor the City of Leeds Board off Education.Education.

The editorials are the opinions of the Editorial Staff.The editorials are the opinions of the Editorial Staff. Corrections:Corrections:

Errors appearing in Errors appearing in The GreenWave News The GreenWave News should be reported to the advisor. If a correction is warranted, one will be published in the next edition.should be reported to the advisor. If a correction is warranted, one will be published in the next edition.

The GreenWave NewsThe GreenWave News Senior Editorial BoardSenior Editorial Board

1500 Greenwave Drive1500 Greenwave Drive Anna Warner Anna Warner

Leeds, Alabama 35094Leeds, Alabama 35094 Sydney St. JohnSydney St. John

205205--699699--45104510 Kalei WhitsonKalei Whitson

Fax: 205Fax: 205--699699--45154515 Macy VandergriftMacy Vandergrift

Email: Email: mshannon@leedsk12.orgmshannon@leedsk12.org Franki PiazzaFranki Piazza

Maggie Shannon, SponsorMaggie Shannon, Sponsor Gaby TowreyGaby Towrey

Aaliyah AbernathyAaliyah Abernathy

Page 2 The GreenWave News February 2016

OUR MISSION

The mission of Leeds City Schools is to develop confident, productive young people and enable them to become independent life-long learners. We will accomplish this through a dedicated professional staff committed to continued learning. A relevant curriculum will be taught based on thinking and reasoning skills. This will take place in a positive environment recognizing the individual differences in children.

Photos in this edition were pro-vided by The GreenWave News staff and Amanda Pritchard of Leeds City Schools.

Yo...Adrian (autopsy)

By Jessica Stanfield As part of FCCLA, I have the privi-lege of being a Diabetes Ambassador for Leeds High School through the leadership of the Ms. Leeds Area Pag-eant. I am also involved in a STAR event advocating this disease. Through this article I want to bring awareness to this common disease that is often overlooked and affects so many people. Diabetes does not only affect adults. It is a disease that does not discrimi-nate. It affects children and teenag-ers alike. What is diabetes? Diabetes is the result of too much sugar in the blood or also known as high blood glucose.

The most common types are: pre-diabetes, Type 1 and Type 2. Diabetes is not necessarily a result of eating too much sugar, though it can be a contributing factor. It is hereditary which means if anyone in your family has it, you are at a higher risk. Other contributing factors in-clude diet, being overweight, age and race. Pre-diabetes is when your blood sugar is higher than it should be but not considered high enough to be full-blown diabetes. Type 1 is when your pancreas, which is responsible for producing the body’s insulin, doesn’t produce enough insulin. Type 1 can be treated and is more common in children. Type 2 is the most severe. It is a result of the body not produc-ing enough insulin or refusing insu-lin. This type is most common in older adults. There are several treatment thera-pies available including diet, exercise, controlling blood pressure, control-ling cholesterol levels, insulin pills,

and insulin shots. Here are some interesting diabetes stats:

29.1 million people in the U.S. have diabetes

One out of three people with diabetes may not be aware that they even have diabetes

For more information, access the American Diabetes Association’s website at: www.diabetes.org

Anonymous AP Language students:

* Trump because we are in an eco-nomic crisis and he knows how to take a company from bankruptcy to a multimillion dollar business. We might end up in way but we will get out of our trillions of debt. * Jeb Bush is the only Republican candidate without extreme right wing conservative policies and would not monumentally screw up our economy by raising taxes. America needs a republican to han-dle our economy and Bush is that candidate despite his awkward speech skills. * Donald Trump could eventually get the nation out of debt but he could not keep his mouth shut or filter what he says long enough to keep us out of a nuclear war. Bernie Sanders is a NO! I am scared Trump will split the republican votes and a democrat will win. * My mom should be president be-cause she is so smart and can fix all our problems. * Nick Saban! Roll Tide!

My choice is ...

February 2016 The GreenWave News Page 3

LHS Champion wrestlers Dawson Anderson, Toren Pollard, and Ryan Dozier of the 2015 State Championship team look forward to another winning season. Sectional winners qualifying for the State Champion-ship matches — Weight Class and Place: Sam Sims 120 lbs. 8th; Chan-dler Teems 138 lbs. 1st; Dawson Anderson 145 lbs. 2nd; Toren Pollard 152 lbs. 1st; William White 160 lbs. 3rd; Arthur Patton 170 lbs. 3rd; Alex Nickell 182 lbs. 3rd; Jackson 195 lbs. 4th; Tre Nation 220 lbs. 2nd; and Josephus Smith 285 lbs. 1st. State Championships are scheduled for February 18-20 at the Von Braun Center in Huntsville.

By Franki Piazza and Abby Smith

Do you ever wonder why our school always looks so great? Well, we have the answer, it’s because of James Cardwell, otherwise known as Jim Bob. Jim Bob is the custodian for Leeds High School. He has worked for the school for six years and is extremely dedicated to his job. Jim Bob arrives to work every day around 5:15 in the morning and leaves around 7 pm. He does this even though he does not have to be at work until 8 am and is able to leave around 3. Jim Bob does not mind though, he says “The students come first, I don’t leave until everyone else is gone.” Jim Bob is the head custodian and has three Custo-dians under him. As a kid, Jim Bob always wanted to be a janitor. He grew up in Alabaster and went to Montevallo High School. Jim Bob never had a job while in school. He has two brothers and a sister. Jim Bob’s first car was a 1965 Mustang. Jim Bob is terrific at his job and he is

greatly appreciated by the students and faculty of Leeds High School. Jim Bob loves this school and takes very good care of everything. Everyone should pitch in and help keep our school clean.

Jim Bob is “The Man”

LHS Champion Wrestlers

Page 4 The GreenWave News February 2016

By Katelynn Shadoan

Monday, February 8, the Leeds City Diplomats and the Moody Diplomats traveled to Atlanta, Georgia to visit the Chick-Fil-A Headquarters. Before the students left, they were showered with Chick-Fil-A gifts: an inspirational book about every-one’s favorite fast food restaurant, the new and improved cow stuffed animal, and a chicken biscuit for the road. Upon arriving to the beautiful campus that is the headquarters, the students quickly realized that this place is special. There are na-ture walking trails that curve around a pond, picnic benches, and even multiple day care facilities for their employees’ children. Upon arrival, the students were received a friendly and sincere welcome. S. Truett Cathy founded his business on sincerity and good, quick food. Students were treated to multiple tours which included the place where all the ideas come from, the main corporate building, and Cathy’s office. While touring the multiple kitch-

ens for food testing, preparation

and layout, the students learned

about new food products and old

ones that are being discontinued.

Among some of the foods that are

being discontinued are the Cin-

nabites and Asian Salad which

includes the Asian dressing that

comes with it.

Some of the newer food products are: gluten-free buns, a sriracha sauce and hopefully coming soon spicy nuggets! At the end of that tour, students were invited to write suggestions on the chalkboard for food products they would like to see. The corporate building is beautiful. It includes the main corporate of-fices, a cafeteria (that serves free food) and a show room of old cars, one of which was a Bat Mobile from an actual Batman movie. In Cathy’s office, the “tree house” as he called it, students saw some of the last projects he worked on and all of his treasured artwork. The students learned a few fun

facts: Chick-Fil-A was originally

named The Dwarf Grill and did not

sell chicken sandwiches until 14

years after the store was opened.

Cathy wanted all of his workers to

eat for free every day so the cafeteria

is completely free. The original

mascot was Doodles, the stuffed

chicken. Chick-Fil-A was the first to

invent the chicken sandwich and

they were the first restaurant to be

located in a mall therefore creating

the food court.

As students exited the building,

they met Mr. Cathy’s son, Bubba

who is now one of the corporate

owners of Chick-Fil-A.

It is very obvious that the goal of

Chick-Fil-A is to serve the masses

in the kindness, quickest and best

way possible.

Leeds Diplomats in the office of S. Truett Cathy, founder of Chick-Fil-A

Chamber Diplomats Visit Chick-Fil-A

By Allison Beason and Clarke Smith

LHS Oak and Ivy theater students have been busy working on the final production of the year — Legally Blonde, junior. Rehearsals are in full swing and the excitement is at an all-time high. Director Jessica Frye said, “The students are working very hard to nail each and every scene and we be-lieve this will be the best production of the year. “ The production is set for April 21, 22, and 23. This performance will be one of most dance-heavy, song-heavy musicals LHS Oak and Ivy Theatre has ever per-formed! A few Meet the Cast videos are up on the theater’s Facebook page. Be sure to follow LHS Oak and Ivy Theatre on Instagram at @lhsoakandivy . The principle cast is as follows: Elle Woods- Kalei Whitson Emmett Forrest- Toren Pollard Paulette Bonafante- Allison Beason Professor Callahan- Alex St. John Warner Huntington III- Ethan Ken-nedy Vivienne Kensington- Sydney St. John Grandmaster Chad- Jeremy Mooney Dewey- Ryan Dozier Kyle B. O’Boyle- Clarke Smith Brooke Wyndham- Courtney Purkey Serena- Rachel Goodwin Margot- Felicity Kirk Pilar- Anna Warner Enid Hoopes- Harper Soileau Kate- Julia Jones Sam Purkey is Dance Captain and Co-Stage Manager. Clayton Connell is Prop Master and Co-Stage Manager as well. Sound Tech is Dalton Cates and Travis Luu. Lighting Tech is Graham Land and Michael Waldrop. Crew Chief is Adrian Jordan.

Oak and Ivy Theater gearing up for Legally Blonde

February 2016 The GreenWave News Page 5

separate buildings eight hours a day. Not having her there to pull me out of my darker moods has left me hol-lowed out, full to the brim with a gaping darkness I can’t seem to fight alone. “You wanna hear a story about this place? It’s one granny tells us that’s definitely true.” We’re lying side by side in the grass now, staring up at the stars. I breathe in a deep lungful of the night air, reveling in the heady sensation of feeling so light. Amy’s granny has the strangest stories and I’ve heard most of them, but I know which one she’ll be telling tonight. “Yeah, tell me.” She takes a deep breath, like she’s getting ready for something big, then let’s it all out in one long rush and starts talking. “Crater Bend was founded by a man looking for somewhere he wouldn’t be bothered. He wandered all over Tennessee, Georgia, and South Caro-lina before someone pointed him towards Alabama. When he got here, he kept walking until all he could see on all sides were trees and decided our little dent in the ground was a crater, and the creek through Prater’s field had enough curve to be a bend and then he settled down. “For a while, he actually was alone. Crater Bend is pretty far from any-where and nobody wanted to make the hike. People started coming even-tually; building houses and planting crops, setting up a little town and laying out roads. As the population grew, people noticed some things.” Amy stops, rolling onto her stomach to pluck dandelions out of the grass and knot them together. “What’d they notice, Amy, you’ve got to tell me now!” It’s for show, something to keep her from noticing the careful looks I keep sending the shadows under the bushes. Silence is too much trouble in a place like this and I need her to keep talking so I can stay grounded. She laughs and keeps knotting, but after a moment she starts up again. “Little things. Flowers during the winter, trinkets left in a baby’s cradle, honey and sugar disappearing from the pantry. When the first baby got taken, people got concerned. Back then it was different, fairy tales and spooky stories a little closer to the truth, more people wary of the

“Come on, keep up!” I duck under a low hanging branch, yanking my night pants free when they snag on a briar, and struggle to keep up with Amy. Her legs are longer and she’s the one with the flashlight so she has no problem avoiding stickie bushes and ant beds, but I haven’t got the same luck. Just as I’m about to call out for help, my foot catches on a root and I stumble through a bush and into a clearing. Skinny arms wrap around me and pull me up, Amy’s teasing voice mur-muring, “Careful, Nessie,” as she pulls me upright. She’s turned the flashlight off, but there’s enough moonlight for me to see perfectly. My mouth drops open as I take in the white weeping willows surrounding us, backed by dark pines. They look like graceful ladies curtsying to imposing lords; the sight makes me remember hazy bed-time stories about princesses that save themselves without ever losing their shoes. The sweet smell of ripe muskey-dimes and blackberries fills the air and lightning bugs dart between the spread branches of the willows. Amy giggles from behind me, pleased with herself. “You like it?” “It’s beautiful!” I let awe color my voice, knowing it’s expected. A massive smile takes over her face at the praise and she whirls me into a hug, keeping us spinning until we’re both so dizzy we collapse in the soft grass. Momma’ll be mad when she sees the stains on my nightclothes, but this is worth it. Ever since Amy moved up to high school, she’s been too caught up in her world of cheerleading and boys to hang out with me. I’m only two years younger but the differ-ence means the world when you’re in

So they caught on pretty quick: iron over doorways, milk and honey as offerings, babies slept with salt pouches over their heads, and everyone felt safe enough. The fey obviously ruled the land and people respected that. But the fey like pretty things and they take what they please.” She ties one last knot and drops the resulting crown on my stom-ach, already working on a second one. “Travelers came through town every once in a while, people that got lost or people on their way somewhere, and one day in spring, it was a pretty young woman with too much heartache. Nobody can remember her name, if she ever said it; all anyone could remember was that her eyes were red from crying and she never returned from her walk in the woods. After that, it was like a floodgate had been opened. Peo-ple disappeared left and right. Took them a while to put all the pieces together: a little boy who wandered away from an abusive father during a hiking trip; a young man, betrayed by his lover and listless with pain, ducking through the trees to escape the scrutiny of the cooing townspeo-ple, never seen again; a little girl that couldn’t remember what was so great about the world. My breath catches in my throat, strangling me. “The fey like pretty things but they have a kinder side. They don’t like to leave people to be sad. They do little kindnesses to make people smile, even if their mischief is sometimes worse. So when all these sad people started coming through their territory, they wanted to help them. When little trinkets didn't work, they lured them right to this clearing and played them music as sweet as honeysuckles and as light as moonlight, coaxing them softly from the shadows until they danced.” Finally done weaving flowers, she crowns herself and flops over onto her back again. “Granny says if you dance in this clearing under the moonlight with sadness in your heart, the fairies

Starlight Girls

Page 6 The GreenWave News February 2016

“Fine. Boring without you.” The words feel punched out of me but my voice is steady and calm. “How’s high school?” Before she even opens her mouth I can read the answer and it scares me. Dread, anger, fear, anxiety, and a bone deep exhaustion ricochet across her face, so fast someone who hasn’t known her for years wouldn’t notice, but I see it. She’s miserable but strug-gling to hide it and my heart breaks because it really shouldn’t be her, shouldn’t be someone so lovely and beautiful and alive that hates getting up in the morning, but the evidence is there in the pause before she smiles, calculatedly sweet. “It’s great! Everyone’s so nice and the classes are fun, though I really need to talk to my Biology teacher about what we went over Friday, I don’t understand . . .” And on and on as she pulls up her walls and settles into the expected. I can see the fey creeping closer as we talk, sneaking up to us on feather light legs, the siren call of their music getting louder and louder the closer they come. My skin itches with the need to run but my mind is fighting it violently, wanting nothing more than to let myself be taken. If I was taken, the shadow I’ve been dragging around for years would be gone; the pain and hurting I can barely feel through the numbness would disap-pear and I’d be happy. It’d be so easy. The first time I heard the music, when I was playing at the edges of the woods, I nearly followed it. Only the good sense my momma trained into me years ago kept me from fol-lowing that sweet escape to its end. Granny and her little circle of knit-ting buddies gave me cookies and protection, telling me the stories and the legends so I could defend myself. It doesn’t seem to matter now, spread out on the grass of the clearing I’ve been dodging for three years, listen-ing to Amy prattle on about her classes and letting the fey’s call lull me under. The reasons I should fear this, fight this, flee as the crooning voices creep closer and closer. Instinctively, my hand drifts to the locket around my neck and my hand closes over it. Since the day I picked it out as a friendship necklace for Amy and I to share, nothing calms me and focuses me like clutching the

will take you away with them so you’re never sad again. She says they do it to be kind.” Out of the corner of my eye, I see a shadow dart through the bushes, ducking through the leaves silently, but I don’t react. There are more in the trees and if I focus on them for any length of time, I’ll be tempted, oh-so-sweetly tempted, to follow them away from here. Amy heaves a sigh, splaying her arms out wide to her sides, smacking my leg as she does. “But it’s only a bedtime story Granny tells me when I stay with her.” She sounds mournful as she says it, like she wishes she could bring her-self to believe it, and I have to choke back hysterical laughter at the thought. Who would wish for these things to be real when the reality is so terrifying? Who would call that fate on themselves so casually? The tinkling sound of laughter to my left draws my eyes unbidden and I find myself staring at a wood sprite, perched elegantly on their spindly legs, tilting their head to stare a time with beady black eyes that reflect the lightning bugs and moonlight eerily. I snap my head back, ignoring its in-quisitive look, and return my atten-tion to Amy. Her blank eyes are fixed on the stars above us again and I watch the subtle shift of longing across her face, followed by melan-choly and a trace of something like resolve before she’s flipping onto her side, drawing her knees up to press into my thigh. Dandelions get crushed mercilessly as she tosses her head around to get comfortable and the little yellow flower petals get caught in her hair, clinging to the black strands like lifesavers bobbing in the ocean. “How’s middle school, short stack?” Its light, a simple question every adult I’ve encountered since sixth grade has asked me, but the easy lie I told them doesn’t come so readily with Amy’s tawny eyes fixed on me like they are. I mirror her pose, crushing my own crown and pressing my bony knees into hers, letting my choppy brown hair tangle in my fin-gers before shoving the whole mess above my head.

compass. Now, the cold bite of the metal on my palm and the tiny en-graving on its back: Follow your North Star home. A cheesy line, chosen by two sugar hyped kids, but now it’s the only thing with the power to remind me why I’m still here. Amy. Amy who helped me stay balanced when I learned to skate, who talked me through the nightmares when I read Life of Pi, who eats coffee ice cream on the roof with me during meteor showers, who has helped me learn to love myself. I can’t give into the fey song and join the other sad, starlight children in the sky because Amy is still here to keep me grounded. She’s still slurring through a de-scription of her History class, com-plaining about the teacher’s lack of essay questions on the tests and how it isn’t fair because she’s best at those, her eyes glazed over as the music snags her too. I knock my knee to hers, startling her out of her trance. “We should get back. The sun’s going to come up soon and if I’m not in bed when Momma leaves for work, she’ll skin me. Come on, on your feet.” I stand, dragging her drugged looking form up with me. The fey are eyeing me as I do, slink-ing back into their shadows and trees, smiling sharply. Their song gradually ends as Amy and I stagger away from the clearing, tripping over roots and stepping in ant hills, our clothes getting torn by briars. I don’t turn back to catch the ancient eyes I can feel watching me, nor do I question their sudden silence. Usu-ally they chatter and chant, coaxing me sweetly to join them. Now they only watch me critically. The murmurs that follow me out even sound approving which makes sense in a way: the fey only take people who have nothing to keep them safe and happy. Neither Amy nor I will be interesting to them as long as the other is around.

Continued...

Van essa is an aspirin g an th r opolo-gist an d the future en gin eer of the worl d's f irst warp c apab le starship, provide d she makes i t thro ug h pre -c alc ulus. A jun ior at LHS , the s i xteen -year-ol d doesn 't feel at home i f there aren 't an y books. Her writ in g is the on ly aspec t of her sc hedu le she n ever feels pressed to f in ish, S he takes great pride in everyt hin g she wr ites .

February 2016 The GreenWave News Page 7

Beauties of the Freshman Class